Skookum Jim Mason, whose First-Nation name was Keish, was one of three men credited with discovering Bonanza Creek gold. He was part of a large Tagish family that divided its time between Tagish in the southern Yukon and Dyea, just over the mountains. Jim earned his nickname, Skookum ("strong" in Chinook), while working as a packer on the Chilkoot-Pass, where he reputedly held the record for weight carried over the pass. In 1887, while packing for surveyor William Ogilvie, he carried 156 pounds of bacon over the pass in a single trip.
In 1896, Skookum Jim and his nephews, Dawson Charlie
